Van Beurden added that the downstream configuration of the planned complex in Qatar would include the world’s biggest OMEGA technology monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant with a capacity of 1.5m tonnes/year. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Forum in Dubai.

Earlier this month, Shell and Qatar Petroleum announced that they had signed a heads of agreement for the world-scale petrochemicals complex, which could cost an estimated $6.4bn (€4.9bn).

“The heads of agreement is binding up until the final investment decision, which we expect to take in 2013,” he said, adding that a start-up is expected for 2017.

The alpha olefins capacity would be 250,000-300,000 tonnes/year and for oxo-alcohols, around 300,000 tonnes/year, said van Beurden.

Gas feedstock for the cracker that would feed the downstream plants would come from Qatar’s North Field and from the Pearl gas-to-liquids (GTL) complex in Qatar, he added. The GTL plant is 100% funded by Shell, with Shell and QP sharing output from the complex.

Ethane gas will be separated from the methane fed into the GTL, with a small amount of by-product ethane and natural gas liquids also produced in the process of converting the methane to liquid fuels such as low-sulphur diesel.

The 6th GPCA Forum is being held in Dubai on 13-15 December, with the theme “Moving Downstream – Creating Value and Sustainable Growth”.